The present invention relates to an improved coin receiving mechanism for a bulk vending machine and a method of operating the mechanism, and more particularly to a bulk vending machine having an improved coin wheel that provides for accepting coins of a predetermined denomination and rejecting coins of other denominations from the mechanism.
Bulk vending machines occupy a special and important position not Just because of the sales generated therefrom but because of the unique niche that these machines possess in the minds of the public. The bulk vending machine has endured and thrived as a fixture of the retail environment. At least one bulk vending machine and more likely several, can be found in the entrance way or lobby of nearly every supermarket, department store, hardware store, gas station and restaurant in the United States. The proceeds of the bulk vending machine may augment the income of the proprietor of the premises where it is located or the proceeds may be shared with or donated to charitable organizations.
The bulk vending machine is intended to operate unattended and without normal supervision or attention by a person of the staff of the establishment where it is located. It is, therefore, important that the bulk vending machine be highly reliable, durable, and resistant to vandalism or pilferage.
One part of the bulk vending machine that is susceptible to vandalism or pilferage is the coin receiving mechanism. The coin receiving mechanism fits into an opening in a housing portion of the bulk vending machine and serves to operate a merchandise dispensing mechanism of the bulk vending machine upon receipt of the proper coin or coins. The coin receiving mechanism typically includes a handle to be manually rotated, a face plate, and a rearward facing gear that engages a corresponding gear of the merchandise dispensing mechanism. The coin receiving mechanism also includes a coin wheel located directly behind a face plate and connected to a rearwardly extending stem or shaft connected to the handle. The coin wheel includes a coin receiving slot sized and adapted to receive a coin of the proper denomination.
The bulk vending machine handle and its connection to the coin wheel in particular should be of a sturdy construction because of the high level of usage to which these pieces are subject. If the handle is jammed or otherwise disabled, the bulk vending machine will not function properly. Also, the handle is potentially subject to vandals who might try to jam the handle in a dispensing position. One way to make a bulk vending machine resistent to vandalism and pilferage is to provide a reinforced collar around the connection of the handle stem or shaft to the coin wheel. The handle stem fits into a slotted aperture in the coin wheel. Accordingly, some prior bulk vending machine mechanisms have coin wheels with raised cylindrical portions or hubs to reinforce the area around the aperture for receiving the stem. In addition, to prevent coins of the improper denomination from being accepted and operating the bulk vending machine, pawls may be used to prevent washers and coins smaller than the required coin from operating the mechanism.
Some bulk vending machines are adapted to dispense bulk product upon receipt of one U.S. quarter. One problem which is encountered in making and operating a bulk vending machine having quarter-slots is that nickels, foreign coins, washers or other disks smaller than a quarter can be inserted in the quarter-slot and either jam the mechanism or be worked on with a knife or other tool in an attempt to operate the dispensing mechanism. Thus, it would be an advantageous feature to be able to reject coins other than the coin of the proper denomination or other objects, such as slugs. It is a particularly desirable feature if the wrong size coin or slug can be readily expelled from the bulk vending machine without jamming the machine.
One way that has been adapted to provide this feature in some types of bulk vending machines is to provide a slot through the coin receiving portion sized slightly smaller than the proper coin so that coins smaller than the proper coin can be expelled by merely dropping through the slot. This feature can be readily provided in bulk vending machines having a coin receiving mechanism with a large front face plate because adequate room can be provided behind the face plate of the coin receiving portion so that coins other than the appropriate sized coin, slugs or other objects can be diverted around the reinforced central hub of the coin wheel and fall out a slot in a lower portion of the coin receiving portion next to the body of the housing. However, some bulk vending machines have coin receiving portions with face plates of a smaller size, e.g. approximately 31/2 inches. Such a bulk vending machine is the standard quarter-slot Northwestern Model 60 (M60.RTM.) or the Triple Play.RTM.. In these and other models of bulk vending machines, there is not adequate space around the reinforced cylindrical portion of the coin wheel to allow disks having a diameter smaller than a quarter to fall through the mechanism.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for receiving quarters for use with a type of bulk vending machine, such as the standard M60 or the Triple Play, which prevents jamming by allowing disks having a smaller diameter than a quarter to fall through the mechanism.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide for a modified coin wheel which can be retrofitted to replace an existing M60 or Triple Play mechanism coin wheel, thus facilitating the conversion of existing mechanisms.